UFC on ESPN 12 bout canceled due to positive coronavirus test

UFC on ESPN 12 has lost a fight because of a positive coronavirus test.

Welterweight Ramiz Brahimaj is off the card after one of his cornermen’s COVID-19 test came back positive, the organization announced late Thursday.

Jason Witt will step in and make his organizational debut against Takashi Sato on the card, provided Witt gets medically cleared by the Nevada Athletic Commission before Saturday’s event at the UFC Apex facility.

The process will include Witt passing a COVID-19 test. He will not participate in Friday’s weigh-ins, instead going through the process separately with the commission.

It was set to be the UFC debut for Brahimaj, who trains at Fortis MMA in Dallas. The name of the cornerman who tested positive was not revealed.

This is the third bout to be impacted by a positive test since the UFC started hosting empty-arena cards amid the pandemic in May.

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza was removed from UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Florida, after he and two cornermen tested positive. Matt Frevola was taken off last week’s UFC on ESPN 11 event after his cornerman Billy Quarantillo, a UFC fighter who had participated on a card earlier in the month, tested positive.

Witt is 17-5 as a pro, winning four straight and nine of 10 under the tutelage of current fighter James Krause.

UFC on ESPN 12 already had lost one fight when women’s flyweight Miranda Maverick pulled out because of an undisclosed injury earlier Thursday.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.